Decoding the Writings of a Popular Canadian Rockstar
Canada has seen its share of rockstars, but the most iconic of them all has got to be Randy Bachman. Formerly of the Guess Who fame and of his own band, Bachman-Turner-Overdrive (BTO), Mr. Bachman has written a number of hit songs, some with some interesting stories.
No Sugar Tonight
Being the last hit Bachman played on, and a #1 US hit, the story behind the song is that Randy Bachman was walking with a bandmate through downtown Berkley, California, when he was approached by some bikers. He crossed the street as a car skid forward and a biker lady got out. She told one of the bikers, "One more thing honey. You're not getting any sugar tonight."
The song also segues into New Mother Nature, a song lead singer Burton Cummings was working on at the time. As neither Bachman nor Cummings had finished their respective songs, they decided to simply put them both together.
American Woman
The title track form their 1970 LP, and the last LP Bachman made with the Guess Who before forming Brave Belt with former Guess Who aluminus Chad Allan, and eventually BTO. The song has been misinterpreted for being political and possibly patriotic (in fact they weren't even allowed to play it at The White House), the song is actually a reflection on how American women tend to get older muck quicker than Canadian women.
The line "American Woman, get away from me," has often been seen as contraversial; however, Cummings has explained what I've written in the previous paragraph. Also interesting is the fact that the band made this song live - they improvised it.
Even more interesting, (annoying?) is that Canadian radio stations (at least from what I've seen in BC), play the LENNY KRAVITZ version. Talk about unfair!
Who was Albert Flasher?
Ah yes! We can't talk Bachman without talking about this mega tune of 1971. Cracking the top 30 in the US and falling just short of the top 10 in Canada, the track's title came from the morning after a party when Bachman was being interviewed at a local radio station. The lamp read "alert flasher" (known to Americans as "on-air lights"). However, Bachman being so drunk, misinterpreted it is "Albert Flasher," hence the title of the song and the story of a fictious character.
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
A direct steal from The Who's 1971 hit Baba O'Rielly, the track features Randy Bachman's infamous stuttering - an idea curteousy of Randy's brother Gary, who had a speech problem that forced him to stutter. Apart from the chorus chords, the stuttering is remainiscent of My Generation, but it was never intended to soud that way.
It's worth noting that this song was BTO's only UK hit, topping at #2. The song was also on top of the charts on either side of the US-Canada border.
Takin' Care of Business
Let's finish things off by discussing the long-used theme for Office Depot commercials. A catchy tune, and BTO's signature song, the track has been performed live on Guess Who reunions. Bachman penned the mega hit while still a member of the Guess Who - an idea being inspired by a sound technician who worked for the Guess Who and took the 8:15 train - hence the opening lines.
To further things, the song had a working title of White Collar Worker and even a melody simillar to that of the Beatles' 1965 hit Paperback Writer. When Bachman played the demo for Cummings, Cummings suspected that the Beatles would file a lawsuit and decided against the Guess Who making the tune.
As such, the track was recycled several years later appearing on BTO's self-titled second LP as the last track. It was a top 10 hit in Canada, and a top 20 hit south of the border, and down under.
Of course, there are many more songs in the Bachman-Cummings songbook, but these are just a few highlights of Bachman's career. Feel free to comment any other significant hits you can think of.
No Sugar Tonight
Being the last hit Bachman played on, and a #1 US hit, the story behind the song is that Randy Bachman was walking with a bandmate through downtown Berkley, California, when he was approached by some bikers. He crossed the street as a car skid forward and a biker lady got out. She told one of the bikers, "One more thing honey. You're not getting any sugar tonight."
The song also segues into New Mother Nature, a song lead singer Burton Cummings was working on at the time. As neither Bachman nor Cummings had finished their respective songs, they decided to simply put them both together.
American Woman
The title track form their 1970 LP, and the last LP Bachman made with the Guess Who before forming Brave Belt with former Guess Who aluminus Chad Allan, and eventually BTO. The song has been misinterpreted for being political and possibly patriotic (in fact they weren't even allowed to play it at The White House), the song is actually a reflection on how American women tend to get older muck quicker than Canadian women.
The line "American Woman, get away from me," has often been seen as contraversial; however, Cummings has explained what I've written in the previous paragraph. Also interesting is the fact that the band made this song live - they improvised it.
Even more interesting, (annoying?) is that Canadian radio stations (at least from what I've seen in BC), play the LENNY KRAVITZ version. Talk about unfair!
Who was Albert Flasher?
Ah yes! We can't talk Bachman without talking about this mega tune of 1971. Cracking the top 30 in the US and falling just short of the top 10 in Canada, the track's title came from the morning after a party when Bachman was being interviewed at a local radio station. The lamp read "alert flasher" (known to Americans as "on-air lights"). However, Bachman being so drunk, misinterpreted it is "Albert Flasher," hence the title of the song and the story of a fictious character.
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
A direct steal from The Who's 1971 hit Baba O'Rielly, the track features Randy Bachman's infamous stuttering - an idea curteousy of Randy's brother Gary, who had a speech problem that forced him to stutter. Apart from the chorus chords, the stuttering is remainiscent of My Generation, but it was never intended to soud that way.
It's worth noting that this song was BTO's only UK hit, topping at #2. The song was also on top of the charts on either side of the US-Canada border.
Takin' Care of Business
Let's finish things off by discussing the long-used theme for Office Depot commercials. A catchy tune, and BTO's signature song, the track has been performed live on Guess Who reunions. Bachman penned the mega hit while still a member of the Guess Who - an idea being inspired by a sound technician who worked for the Guess Who and took the 8:15 train - hence the opening lines.
To further things, the song had a working title of White Collar Worker and even a melody simillar to that of the Beatles' 1965 hit Paperback Writer. When Bachman played the demo for Cummings, Cummings suspected that the Beatles would file a lawsuit and decided against the Guess Who making the tune.
As such, the track was recycled several years later appearing on BTO's self-titled second LP as the last track. It was a top 10 hit in Canada, and a top 20 hit south of the border, and down under.
Of course, there are many more songs in the Bachman-Cummings songbook, but these are just a few highlights of Bachman's career. Feel free to comment any other significant hits you can think of.
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